Robertson davies essays

There were many articles written around 1968 that highlighted the emergence of Joni Mitchell at the Riverboat. It was a tight coffeehouse that was located below street level at 134 Yorkville Avenue. The place was supposed to be the focal point of the Toronto folk-music and counter-culture scene. Those were the modest days when songs were about the innocence and optimism that is rare these days. The club or the coffee house had red booths, pine walls, and brass portholes. It witnessed the historic performances of artists like Gordon Lightfoot, Odetta, Kris Kristofferson and Neil Young. Before the house was shut, the last performance was that of Murray McLauchlan. He was a singer-songwriter. The innocence and optimism of the 1960s almost died with the closing of the Riverboat.

Seeing a character’s life as a journey in search of truth helps readers understand a central theme of the work. In the novel, Fifth Business, the author, Robertson Davies illustrates the destructive impact of guilt on the protagonist’s, Dunny, life journey. Dunstable Ramsay’s life is undeniably a quest or a journey, yet guilt from his childhood entirely impedes his achievement of truth and meaning.
Through multiple events in Dunny’s childhood, the author demonstrates the impact of his youthful guilt on his quest for enlightenment. The snowball incident sets in motion his this guilt, which forever alters his entire life. Following this pivotal childhood moment, Dunny explains, “It is living with these guilty secrets that exacts the price[Percy’s] brazen-faced refusal to accept responsibility seemed to deepen my own guilt, which had now become the guilt of concealment as well as action” (Davies, 25). This initial childhood incident sets the stage for a lifetime of guilt as Dunny becomes overly attached to Mary and responsible for her throughout his childhood and adolescence. Moreover, Percy refuses to acknowledge and accept responsibility for his role thus Dunny is left taking full blame. Henceforth, the protagonist lives his life serving others and fulfilling their needs rather than his own. Furthermore, Dunny’s relationship with his mother was negatively affected due to the guilt and remorse that he felt towards . His mother opposed the idea of him helping Mary and supporting her, as created a bad reputation for him and his family in their community. Dunny’s conflict and the destructive nature of guilt is evident; and to exact from me promises that I would never see againShe did not know how much I loved her and how miserable it made me to defy her, but what was I to do? Deep inside myself I knew that to yield and to promise what she wanted, would be the end of anything that was any good in...